Hidden under layers of bureaucracy and cover-ups, there was an ugly side to what is normally one of Iowa's best events – the Iowa State Fair. For over a week, hundreds of thousands of citizens come out to the Iowa State Fairgrounds to enjoy the vendors, food, and general good times.
As long as you stay on the Fairgrounds property, perhaps, and limit your attendance to the daytime hours.
According to WHO news, on August 13, an estimated 100+ teens – mostly males, and mostly black, wearing red shirts – participated in “Get Whitey Night” just outside the west side gates of the fairgrounds. Picked at random, fair patrons – mostly white – were attacked with bats, knives, brass knuckles, or just plain fists as they exited the fairgrounds. Some were seriously injured, and are lucky to be alive. Eyewitness accounts say that the problems started inside the fairgrounds, and the participants were removed from the fairgrounds where things exploded. According to police reports obtained by WHO, the mob belonged to a gang called the “West Side Bad Boys” which is affiliated with The Bloods.
As if all of this is not bad enough, the same thing happened yet again on August 20. KCCI News reported on the second event with a clip of a You Tube video that has since been pulled from circulation for “policy violations.” Interestingly, the KCCI video is still on You Tube, however.
One of the more interesting items that filtered out was a report that the mob decided to knock over a bunch of motorcycles outside the Main Gate Bar. The bikers handled the situation themselves, and the mob wisely left the immediate area.
Several questions come to mind as the news stories filter out.
First, why did mainstream Des Moines news outlets not publicize the events of August 13 until well after a week later? Does the desire to not “tarnish” the image of the fair outweigh the needs of public safety? And why did it take a second event, a week later, before the public gets to know what's going on?
Second, if there is a gang problem in Des Moines, when will the DMPD admit that?
Third, when will lawmakers in Iowa understand that the right of self-defense does not end at an imaginary line that separates the Iowa State Fairgrounds from the rest of Des Moines? It is illegal in Iowa for anyone to carry firearms on fairgrounds property. Why is that? What is different between being inside the gates as opposed to outside the gates? As always, the police cannot be present everywhere all of the time. If you are one of the “whiteys” that gets jumped by a crowd of teens intent on doing you bodily harm, what kind of tool do you want for defense? A phone? Your fists? A firearm?
This is a big story that is going to continue to develop over the next few days. A good place to get a start on this would be Jan Mickelson's podcast from Monday, August 23. About halfway through the show is where he starts talking about the event. It's a very good listen.
In the meantime, this is another situation where the ability for citizens to adequately defend themselves has led to attacks that literally make them sheep to be picked off by wolves. Who were the sheepdogs that got left alone? The bikers at The Main Gate bar. Once the wolves figured out they picked on the wrong group, they fled quickly into the night, looking for softer targets – citizens who could not defend themselves.
It is high time for the Iowa State Fairgrounds to drop the asinine administrative rule that forces citizens with a valid Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons to leave their protection behind.
Comments
Outstanding article! I'm glad I subscribe to your column and shall continue to so do.
Here in Wyoming we gun owners are trying to get our self defense laws changed, as of right now they are STILL 'required to Retreat' even in your own home.
Times are changing and either we change with them (re personal protection issues) or more innocent folks are going to be the ones in the body bags, rather than the criminals.
Cheers.
Personal protection does not stop at the state boundary or the state fair. The state fair board needs to reconsider this stupid rule.
Licensed permit holders are not and have never been the problem. Permit holders should be allowed to carry anywhere they have a legal right to be.
What is your life worth?
What's that old line that still rings true:
"I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6."
When a person's family's safety is on the line, the 12 option should come to the forefront of every sane person's mind. Since this prime example of the need for CC was so apparent and strong, a lawsuit would be in order against the Fairgrounds board.
The other thing that should be kept in mind is that this sorry criminal act must be used as a precedent against any PD, SO, or HP, which attempts to preclude the right to carry and protect.
Cheers.
Victims, always obey the laws which make them the victims that they become.
I spent 11 years (1/4) of my life in Iowa and go back every year or two. Iow has become a liberal haven and has started to likewise have the problems and violence that come with that diseased mindset. I now live in Florida with a castle doctrine. Thank God, as I have had to use a gun to protect my safety.
The big cities in Iowa, such as Des Moines, are LOADED with, um gangstas, supported by your welfare dollars. This story did not end properly. There's should have been at least one dead attacker (then Al Sharptongue would have come to hold a candlelight vigil but oh well). If some gang comes at me and my family with a bat or other weapon, I carry a gun with a full magazine and I DON'T shoot to wound. The one coming at me with the bat would immediately get two in the chest and same goes for the one with the knife.
To the devil with "Permit Holders"
A right regulated is a right denied.
All person should be able to carry the weapon of their choice in any place and under any circumstance.
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Iowa fair ground rules seem to be at odds with the Iowa Code. Part 724.4-1i and 724.28
724.4 Carrying weapons.
1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who goes armed with a dangerous...
i. A person who has in the person's possession and who displays to a peace officer on demand a valid permit to carry weapons which has been issued to the person, and whose conduct is within the limits of that permit.
The only areas where a "carrying or possession" by a weapons permit holder is not allowed by Iowa Code is defined under "724.4A Weapons free zones" As used in this section, "weapons free zone" means the area in or on, or within one thousand feet of, the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school, or in or on the real property comprising a public park. A weapons free zone shall not include that portion of a public park designated as a hunting area under section 461A.42. (all state parks and preserves)
724.28 Prohibition of regulation by political subdivisions.
A political subdivision of the state shall not enact an ordinance regulating the ownership, possession, legal transfer, lawful transportation, registration, or licensing of firearms when the ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation is otherwise lawful under the laws of this state. An ordinance regulating firearms in violation of this section existing on or after April 5, 1990, is void.
Imagine the uproar of a get darky night.
So the bikers stood up for themselves. Where were other people in regards to these attacks?
Okay. If the people attacked after the fair had guns they could have killed their attackers. Then next time the attackers will have guns too...maybe even bigger guns!
So then fair goers should be carrying automatic weapons just in case right??
We need to look at what caused this to happen and allowed it to get so out of hand, Although I do love a good Road Warrior movie!!
I am in no way advocating a state of Violence; but the truth of the matter is we need to go back to the Constitutional Right to Bear Arms, this has been accepted in Vt., Alaska, and Now Arizona, I might add that there has not been one incident of the OK Coral shootout to date, no Bloodshed in the Streets over traffic arguments or any such Civil Dispute. But the fact remains that as long as these gangs, and criminals know they have soft targets, these happenings will continue to happen, and innocent people will be hurt, maimed or killed in the process of Legislators failing to live up to the Oath they took to Protect and Defend, the Constitution of the United States of America.
If you as legislators do not act in a responsible way to allow your Citizens to protect themselves from these sorts of attacks then it is you who are as bad or worse than the attackers for your non-action.
What was distressing according to the original article, is that the Des Moines police kept insisting that this wasn't "racially motivated". Do you believe that?
Sean, I think the fact that the attackers were Zulus, is the reason the story initially got quashed. The state fair people were afraid that attendance would suffer.
To think there were people stupid enough to believe that Obama's election would stop things like this from happening. Yeah, right.
I did notice that one "Whitey" grew some guts and came at the mob with a ball bat and they ran like the cowards they are. I cant for the life of me understand why people are afraid of skin color. If I am attacked in this maner I will fight with what ever means I have at the moment, just like the kid in the video. That guy should get recognized as a hero!
I found this story at a site that reports on interracial crime. In the politcally correct world we live in today you dont even get a description of the suspects usually. This site is not P.C. http://tinyurl.com/c95t53
I use to think the site was racist. But, to be honest I find its the only place to get the real story. It's opened my eyes.
* Of the nearly 770,000 violent interracial crimes committed every year involving blacks and whites, blacks commit 85 percent and whites commit 15 percent.
* Blacks commit more violent crime against whites than against blacks. Forty-five percent of their victims are white, 43 percent are black, and 10 percent are Hispanic. When whites commit violent crime, only three percent of their victims are black.
* Blacks are an estimated 39 times more likely to commit a violent crime against a white than vice versa, and 136 times more likely to commit robbery.
* Blacks are 2.25 times more likely to commit officially-designated hate crimes against whites than vice versa.
Source(s):
Arrest data: FBI, Crime in the United States, 2001
(USGPO, 2002), p. 252. FBI, Crime in the United States, 2002
(USGPO, 2003), p. 252. FBI, Crime in the United States, 2003
(USGPO, 2004), p. 288
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